Elizabeth Bernoskie, 80, vowed to not let tragedy define her life

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerElizabeth Bernoskie is shown at the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton in this 2007 file photo.

RAHWAY — In the last few years, Elizabeth Bernoskie made sure she wouldn’t let the late serial killer Robert Zarinsky define her life, according to her son.

Bernoskie focused on friends, family and her work at a Westfield elementary school, Charles Bernoskie said. Rarely, did she dwell on how the notorious killer allegedly shot and killed her husband, Rahway Police Officer Charles Bernoskie, during a 1958 burglary, her son said.

Elizabeth Bernoskie died Friday at Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark from complications of a heart condition, Charles Bernoskie said. She was 80.

The slaying has haunted the family for years. Elizabeth Bernoskie’s husband was believed to be one of a half-dozen victims who authorities believe were killed by Zarinsky. Zarinsky was tried in 2001 for Bernoskie’s murder, but was acquitted.

The family sued Zarinsky in 2001 for Bernoskie’s death, and in 2003 a jury awarded the widow $9.5 million in damages.

The triumph was short-lived, however. An appeals court in 2007 ordered Bernoskie to give back the first installment of money — about $156,000.

According to Charles Bernoskie, justice has never been served regarding his father. But by that point, the widow was determined to move on.

"She wasn’t going to let that affect the rest of her life," Bernoskie said.

But there were things she refused to leave behind, such as the "dream house" in Rahway in which she raised six children, Bernoskie said. But others were easy to bury, such as the Zarinsky issue.

"Her strength was how she dealt with both the blessings and the disappointing times," Bernoskie said.

He said his mother kept herself busy by working as a part-time lunch aide at the Tamaques School, where she had worked for the past 15 years. Before that, Elizabeth Bernoskie, a 1962 graduate of St. Michael’s School of Nursing, had a 40-year career as a nurse, with stints at hospitals including St. Joseph’s Regional Hospital in Paterson and Irvington General.

Her health began to decline in May, her son said. The widow went to the hospital with pneumonia, and soon was weakened by a series of heart ailments.

Bernoskie said his mother suffered two heart attacks and had heart surgery on Aug. 25.

"We expected her to bounce back," he said, "but her body had taken a hard toll."

Visitation will be from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Tuesday at the Lehrer-Gibilisco Funeral Home, 275 West Milton Ave., Rahway. A funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Agnes R.C. Church St., 332 Madison Hill Road, Clark.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Elizabeth Bernoskie’s memory can be made to the State PBA Survivor Welfare Fund, 158 Main St., Woodbridge, N.J. 07095.